Behind the business with Kaspersky Lab UK

Malcolm Tuck is managing director of Kaspersky Lab UK, a firm that specialise in security software for android and PC. He takes Bdaily behind the business.

What key challenges has your company recently faced?

The competitive landscape in the security industry has changed a lot over the last 12 months. As a result we have had to work even harder to maintain our strong position within the market.

What is your biggest achievement over the past 12 months?

I am proud of the fact that Kaspersky Lab UK has continued to grow year on year despite the fact that we have been in and out of recession for the last four years. It has not been easy but the team has shown remarkable determination and the results speak for themselves.

We have also restructured our partner programme by introducing a new range of engagement levels, designed to better reflect partner needs. Kaspersky Lab is committed to being a proactive and supportive supplier and building long term, collaborative relationships with channel partners.

What is your biggest focus for the coming year?

As well as continuing the positive growth we have seen across the business, one of our main focuses will be on the B2B side of the company and growing our market share and reach. This year saw the launch of Kaspersky Security for Virtualization, a key product launch for the B2B business. Next year we plan to grow our portfolio of products; this will help us address new markets and start working witha wider range of businesses across different industries.

If you had to choose one top piece of advice for someone just starting out in business, or iscurrently operating within your industry sector, what would it be?

My top piece of advice for someone just starting out in business would be to build the best possible team you can afford. People are so important to the success of a company and choosing the right people at the start can help it grow much quicker. The best candidates will fit into the culture of the business, share the same values and have the drive and determination to push the company forward. The best product in the world will not sell itself. You need to have the right people to promote it andpush it out into the market.

Can you share with us your view of the current landscape of business, in this region or generally and where your organisation sits within it?

It is currently a very competitive landscape with smaller companies moving up the food-chain and larger ones going down. This means that as a business we are competing with all vendors that operate in our industry. The UK is a particularly competitive market for Kaspersky Lab as some of our main rivals have their headquarters here and that means most of their staff are based here and there is more investment in the local business. All of this makes for a very dynamic, changeable marketplace.

Kaspersky is still challenging the competition though; we are a global entity and we currently sit within the top four internet security providers in the UK consumer market. We will continue to focus on the B2B side of the business and aim to get higher in the ranks by focusing on delivering better products, better technology and improving the way we work with our partners and customers. I am confident that we can get there as our technology is the strongest it’s ever been and we have the right team inplace to support it.